Welcome
To the Class of 2028 Freshmen Wilderness Experience (FWE) Students and Support Crew (Parents),
Welcome to the University of Montana and the Freshman Wilderness Experience! We are so excited for the start of another FWE adventure and are reaching out with some important information.
If you have not had the chance to hop on the FWE website yet, please do so. You will find a lot of information there that will answer many of your questions.
On Aug. 15, you will arrive at Riverbowl East (the field across from the Fitness and Rec Center) on campus to check in at 1pm. Parents may come with you to check in, but then you will have to say goodbye and join the rest of the FWE cohort. This day is full of getting into your small groups, getting to know each other, going over your trip plan, and cooking dinner together on camp stoves. The day culminates in all the students and student leaders spending the night in Schreiber Gym or the UM Golf Course. FWE officially starts this day, so we ask that you do not have dinner plans or ask to stay in your residence hall room or with your family this evening. Being part of the small groups is all part of the process.
You all will leave bright and early the next morning for the field, either on a backpacking trip or a canoe trip. You will be in the field from the Aug. 16 through Aug. 19 and will return to campus for gear cleaning and a pizza party in the field across from the Outdoor Program. There are generally skits performed by the small groups after the pizza party (parents welcome!), which are a riot!
Some people have called to ask about gear. Our gear lists can be found on the FWE website. If you need to rent gear, the Outdoor Program has rental equipment, and for students it’s half-price! All of the group gear is included (tents/tarps, large cooking items, etc.).
Students will move into the residence halls at scheduled times. Students may log into their myHousingPortal later in June and sign up for a check-in time slot after 9am on August 14th. The check-in windows will be two hours and students are able to arrive anytime during that window to check in. You need to show up at your Area Desk with a photo ID before you can check in.
You can move your belongings in and stay in your residence hall the night of August 14th. The residence halls officially open for fall semester on August 19th and FWE students will be charged $25 for the night of the 15th, but then can have their belongings in their rooms for the fall semester. Students that require a check-in prior to August 15th will need to reach out to UM Housing to determine availability and additional charges. Any charges for early arrival will be added to your student bill. Let us know if you have any further questions.
We know you will love the University of Montana, Missoula, and especially FWE!
Best Regards,
The F.W.E. leadership team
P.S. We’ve posted a tentative schedule under the Important Dates tab.